04 July 2013

Europa League

"Icelanders and Faroese are cousins, really!" "Shut up while I stab you!"Picture.

Today is the first day of play in the 2013-14 Europa League, UEFA's second-tier club tournament. While the Champions League features the top clubs of the major European soccer countries, the Europa League pits the top clubs of the smaller European countries along with the runners-up of the big countries, roughly speaking. It's complicated and sprawling and there are coefficients involved. The first qualifying round, which starts today, is contested by clubs from the really small countries, a category that includes Iceland. Scottish clubs don't enter until the second qualifying round. Each match-up is played in two legs, or as we say in Canada, a home and home series.

Three Icelandic clubs play today:

KR host Glentoran FC, the Northern Irish cup winners. Amazingly, considering the nearly infinite number of possible match-ups, these two clubs met in the very same round just three years ago. KR won that time on an aggregate of 5 goals to 2. [0 - 0.]

FC Santa Coloma, the second-place finishers of Andorra, host Breiðablik. Do not confuse FC Santa Coloma with UE Santa Coloma, who also play today. [No, wait, the order of legs was reversed. This game is now in Iceland.] [Breiðablik win 4 - 0.]

And in the match of the day, ÍBV welcome HB Tórshavn, a red and black team from the Faroe Islands. [1 - 1.]